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Thursday, January 31, 2013 Last Update: 5:39 PM ET

Hagel’s Views Come Under Harsh Scrutiny by Republicans

Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s nominee to be secretary of defense, met with sharp and sometimes angry questions on a wide range of issues at his Senate confirmation hearing.

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Syria’s Confirmation of Strike May Add to Tension With Israel

Experts said Israel’s refusal to confirm its Wednesday attack was part of a strategy to give targets face-saving ways to avoid escalation. But Syria may have undercut that effort.

DealBook

Justice Dept. Seeks to Block $20 Billion Merger of Brewers

The United States is saying Anheuser-Busch InBev’s proposed deal to buy control of Grupo Modelo of Mexico would hurt competition in the American beer market.

Iran Said to Be Set to Hasten Uranium Enrichment

Tehran has told the United Nations nuclear watchdog of plans to install new equipment at the Natanz plant, a diplomat said.

Blending folk art with more polished contemporary works could enliven the appreciation of both. “Lake George and the Village of Caldwell,” top left, by Thomas Chambers, challenges the perspective, top right, of John Frederick Kensett’s “Hudson River Scene.”  Thomas Doughty’s “Beach Scene With Rocks II,” bottom right, characterizes its seascape differently than “Meditation by the Sea,” bottom left, by an unknown folk artist.
Top images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Bottom images from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Curator, Tear Down These Walls

American museums’ isolation of pre-20th-century folk art, left, from the more realistic, academically correct kind is still the norm. Why not hang them side by side?

Snowmobile Rider Dies From Injuries at X Games

Caleb Moore, an innovative rider who crashed last week while attempting a back flip during ESPN’s winter sporting competition in Aspen, Colo., was 25.

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Prosecutor Is Fatally Shot in Town Near Dallas

Two masked gunmen wearing tactical-style vests shot Mark E. Hasse as he walked to a courthouse, officials said.

Builders and Labor Seek Looser Rules in Midtown

A new alliance wants zoning rules eased to encourage construction of towers around Grand Central Terminal.

From the Magazine
The Spy Novelist Who Knows Too Much

The espionage thrillers of Gérard de Villiers have more than the ring of truth to them.

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This Queens restaurant specializes in the cuisine of China’s Dongbei region, which hasn’t succumbed to the American palate. Don’t wait for it to join the American-Chinese canon.

Taking Note
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Andrew Cuomo’s approval rating has dropped since he announced his gun control plan. But he doesn’t seem to mind.

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Two Cities in One

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Review
Hizzoner Onstage

The 1959 musical “Fiorello!” opened the 20th anniversary season of Encores! musicals in concert.

‘Bloomberg: The Musical’

Three composers imagine song-and-dance numbers for a Michael R. Bloomberg show.

 

Video: In Performance

Gia Crovatin in a scene from Neil LaBute’s “In the Beginning,” part of a program by Theater Uncut.

COLLECTING
How Much? Roll the Credits

A car can usually bring a better price at auction if a celebrity once owned it. Steve McQueen helps, as does Clark Gable. But Fatty Arbuckle?

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The Six Steps of Leadership (Plus Courage)

G. J. Hart, the chief executive of California Pizza Kitchen, says good leaders need several qualities, all surrounded by the courage to be different.

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